(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
(ii) Related Art
A toner including a flat pigment may be used to form an image having a metallic gloss. If flat surfaces of particles of the pigment extend substantially parallel to a surface of a recording medium, the metallic gloss is improved as compared with a case where the flat surfaces do not extend substantially parallel to the surface.
In duplex printing, that is, when forming images on both surfaces of a recording medium, an image that is first formed on a first surface of the recording medium passes through a fixing unit twice, and an image that is subsequently formed on a second surface of the recording medium passes through the fixing unit once. Thus, a binder resin of a toner in the image on the first surface, which passes through the fixing unit twice, becomes softer than that in the image on the second surface, which passes through the fixing unit once. As a result, flat surfaces of a pigment of the image on the first surface becomes closer to parallel to the surface of the recording medium, and the image on the first surface has a higher metallic gloss.